It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas, and in Greek mythology it was the home of the gods Hermes and Pan. In European Renaissance arts, Arcadia was celebrated as an unspoiled, harmonious wilderness; as such, it was referenced in popular culture. Arcadia. Ἀρκαδία Historical region.

Now English speakers often use "arcadia" to designate a place of rustic innocence and simple, quiet pleasure. "Arcadian" can mean "idyllically pastoral" or "idyllically innocent, simple, or untroubled."

Immediately we know this was not the place of heaven, not a place in the after-life - that honour belongs to Elysium. Arcadia was instead a place of the supernatural, home to dryads, nymphs and nature spirits.

The name Arcadia thus came to be a symbol of ideal simplicity, rural beauty, and contentment. It was represented as a kind of paradise in Greek and Roman poetry and Renaissance romances.